THESE WORDS of anguish were expressed almost a century ago (and yet hold good even today in spite of an overload of art and culture in every lane and by lane of the city) by our Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore whose death anniversary was on August 8. This year marks his 150th birth anniversary, which is being commemorated all over the world by art connoisseurs.

A CHILD’S first impressions on paper or a primitive man’s shamanistic rituals done on the walls of caves are mostly drawings. The marks made by any tool on any surface define either an external object as perceived by the eye or an idea in the mind of the maker. Man’s intense urge to express the disturbance within the mind/ heart is the starting point of creative process which manifests in a tangible form which can be called art.

ONE OF the most celebrated, legendary artists of modern Indian art, M F Hussain passed away as a Qatari national. Hussain’s life was rich with almost all the contrasting as well as harmonious shades of experience one can think of, touching the peeks of popularity, attracting admirers worldwide who compared him to Picasso (he was honoured with the ‘Picasso of India’ title by Forbes magazine during the golden years of his career) to the criticism and hatred by right wing fanatics from his own country.

DOES LIGHT always reveal the mystery? Or does it occasionally intrigue or mislead? Whether the light will reveal or conceal depends upon its use, especially in photography. The popular saying ‘perceptions can be deceptive’ can be proved to a great extent by the art of photography. The element of mystery in human life keeps the mind intensely involved until it is revealed. The revelation of mystery is a joy which cannot be shared with anybody; at the same time, it is a boost for one’s ego.

OVER THE past month, art connoisseurs have been spoilt for choice as major Goan artists are showing their works in private art galleries in Panaji and at charity art auctions. In Fontainhas, Gallery Geetanjali opened a group show ‘Goan Kaleidoscope-2011′ of 36 Goan artists on March 19 and revealed changed interiors, providing a better display for art works. Gallery Ruchika opened its annual show ‘carnival of colours’ on March 23, at the hands of the Governor S S Siddhu, which has Mumbai-based Niyati Shinde as its curator.

HANUMAN Kambli’s drawings and paintings are the outcome of his observations of power’s relationship with violence. He says, “Power in itself is not corrupt; the human mind uses it in corrupt ways to fulfil suppressed desires.” He expresses his observation of different strategies (symbolically represented by red dots connecting each other through a zigzag ladder) used by a powerful hand to indirectly destroy the undesirable field of human activity.

Vidya Dehejia, a professor of Indian Art at Columbia University, has made Goa her home.

REFORM measures initiated for inmates of Delhi’s Tihar jail created such an indelible impression on young artist and art critic Swatee Kotwal Nair of the Blue Shores Silent Trust that it had her wondering why a similar endeavour could not be undertaken in Goa’s prominent Aguada jail.

Through various forms Querozito reveals his inner struggle - a subconscious desire to cast off the masks and confront the truth (‘Sub conscious talk’, ‘Unveiling the true self’, ‘Pretentious’ etc). The masks in Querozito’s drawings have acquired an identity of their own and are challenging the master who wears them (‘I can be you’, ‘Other colour, ‘Mask’, etc.). The contrasting realities of wearing and removing the masks are portrayed through the works ‘A point in time’ depicting a bull wearing a human mask in ridiculing expressions; ‘Pretentious’ shows a man wearing a mask whereas ‘Subconscious talk’ shows a man in the process of removing his mask and body sheath.

Charudatta revives his ties with his motherland by participating in some group shows this season. Art connoisseurs revive the memory of some of his paintings exhibited in group shows in the early 1990s after cimpleting his MFA from Baroda. People are acquainted with Vasudev and Sachin’s works, but Conrad is an emerging face in the field of art.